Social media can be a great source of fitness, nutrition and wellness tips, but there are also potentially harmful content.
Enter “Skinnytok,” a popular weight loss trend that will take place rounds of Tiktok.
The creators combine the hashtag with videos that share different ways to lose weight. Many of them are based on the goal of becoming as thin as possible in a short time.
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As of April 26th, there were over 60,000 videos from creators talking about Clinitoc. One of them is Mandanazargami (25), a business owner and influencer in Miami, Florida.
“I’ll show you what you eat in private in public,” Zargami told her followers in a recent video.
The influencer spoke about her perception of Fox News Digital and Skinnytok’s trends around the world.
“The focus is on potion control, prioritizing your daily movements and knowing which foods make you feel better from the inside out,” she said.
However, the creators acknowledged that some content could be triggering for those who fought disrupted feeding.
Tikk’s creator Mandana Zargami has acknowledged that some of Skinitku’s content could be triggered for those who fought the unrest of eating. (Mandana Zarghami/Tiktok)
“Some content under Skinytok’s trends can promote health and health motivation, but if you follow the wrong influencers or content creators, you can also unintentionally attract unhealthy habits and unrealistic physical standards,” warned Zarghami.
At the same time, she said, “I control what you consume.”
“We’ll show you what you eat in private in public.”
“It’s a bit difficult to be sensitive to each group as many people talking about Skinnytok on the platform have also fought eating disorders and overcome it with healthy lifestyle choices,” Zarghami added.
Dr. Brett Osborne, a Florida neurosurgeon and longevity expert, said he first saw firsthand the “devastating consequences” of extreme thinness, including a woman with fractured bones caused by malnutrition.
“This is a growing crisis and is dangerously celebrated on social media under hashtags like #skinnytok,” he told Fox News Digital.
“It’s a bit difficult to be sensitive to each group as many people talking about Skinnytok on the platform have also fought eating disorders and overcome it with healthy lifestyle choices,” influencer Mandana Zargami (right). (istock/tiktok-mandana zarghami)
“When young people chase extreme thinness through a hunger diet, they are frail in their lives. The bodies that have been deprived of calorie energy become extremely vulnerable.”
In teens and young adults, malnutrition can destroy hormones, weaken immunity, impair cognitive function, and cause permanent damage to the still-developed brain, according to Osborne.
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The physical effects of malnutrition include hair loss, reduced bone density, and, in severe cases, irreversible structural damage, he added.
Low weight or minimal body fat is not equivalent to health, doctors said.
“Hunger star is not a virtue, it is abandonment of the nutritional needs of the body,” he said. “Skinnytok’s trends encourage impressive young people, especially young women, to acquire and reduce rather than thrive.”
Low weight or minimal body fat is not equivalent to health, a doctor told Fox News Digital. (istock)
Rather than focusing on “ultra thinness,” Osborne focused on building muscle, which he described as the “basement of vitality.”
“In older adults, muscle loss, or sarcopenia, is a medical warning sign associated with falls, fractures, hospitalization, poor cognitive function, and even increased mortality,” he warned.
“Muscle loss doesn’t just weaken the body. It erodes the mind and speeds up the onset and progression of dementia. The body and brain are interconnected, and when one person suffers, the other is suffering.”
“Muscles are a shield against illness and decline. Thin and strong, thin and not frail is a true measure of health,” one doctor said. (istock)
For those who embrace Skinnytok’s trends, Osborn recommends shifting their focus to muscle building.
“Muscles are the shield against illness and decline. They are not thin and strong, thin and frail, but a true measure of health,” he said.
“The carnivorous diet saved my life after decades of loss of appetite.”
“Instead of praise for hunger, we must teach young people to nourish their bodies and minds, build resilience through the muscles gained through strength training, and prioritize physical function over short-lived trends.”
Dr. Gillian Lampert, vice president of Emily Program, a Minnesota-based eating disorder treatment center, called for potential risks in Skinitok trends.
“It’s a vicious cycle that quickly spirals from external messages to internal criticism.”
“This content dangerously praises content that encourages people to take dramatic steps to change their bodies,” she told Fox News Digital. “It also reinforces the notion that thinness is the norm at all costs, which is already struggling with the idea of ​​their body image and size and shape.”
Many video behavior is “often extreme” and very restrictive to food and food groups, Lampert noted.
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The algorithms used on social media platforms, experts say, make content even more dangerous by amplifying the message.
“Even with less toxic body image content, when you look at one tictok, you will teach the algorithm to send you more and more until the algorithm becomes an avalanche of nutritional content,” warned Rampert.
When people scroll through countless videos of “ideal” bodies and lifestyles, this often concludes that they are not thin enough or attractive enough.
“This content risks praises content that encourages people to take dramatic steps to change their bodies,” an expert told Fox News Digital. (istock)
“Continuous assessment of appearance and feeding habits can promote a cycle of supercritical and overfixing a person by being overfixed with perceived defects and thus reducing diet.
“It’s a vicious cycle that quickly spirals from external messages to internal criticism.”
Dr. Anastasia Raiigh, a Tennessee-based family doctor and obesity medicine expert, is an expert at Virtual Health Platform Plushcare, and warned that extreme weight loss behavior can be fatal.
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“When people strictly limit their calorie intake, their bodies struggle to maintain the correct electrolyte balance,” she shared with Fox News Digital.
“If a person’s electrolytes are severely balanced, they can experience cardiac arrest in the heart, or severe cases. Even if a person does not experience this, serious food deprivation can lead to heart, bone and brain damage.”
“Many of us who promote Skinnytok focus on proper nutrition, take 10,000 steps a day and promote a healthy, active lifestyle,” the creator told Fox News Digital. (istock)
Those who take food away may also notice the effects on cognition, mood and sleep, Leai warned.
“Modeling healthy attitudes towards food is extremely important to combat the negative effects of toxic diet cultures,” she said, recommending that people focus on food as an energy source rather than as an enemy.
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“It has been shown that helping young people to focus on activities and interests outside of social media can be equally helpful,” she said.
“A counter to spending time on social media, encouraging and promoting active activities in the real world.”
“Modeling healthy attitudes towards food is extremely important to combat the negative effects of toxic diet cultures.”
Raylee advised that anyone showing signs of an upset diet should see a doctor.
“A disturbed diet is fatal, but there is hope and treatment. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help.”
Zarghami, creator of Tiktok, reiterated the importance of setting up a positive example on social media.
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“Many of us who promote Skinnytok focus on proper nutrition, take 10,000 steps a day and promote a healthy, active lifestyle,” she told Fox News Digital.
“It’s very important to balance and approach these trends, focusing on overall well-being rather than appearance, and to promote sustainable nutritional choices that support both physical and mental health.”
